


Creature Comforts

by dimeliora



Category: SPN RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Past Violence, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-26 03:11:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2635844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimeliora/pseuds/dimeliora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen Ackles is set to inherit his father’s hotel empire, but first he has to come up with a way to revitalize a failing portion of the franchises, survive training at an extended stay property, and woo the Night Auditor Jared Padalecki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Creature Comforts

**Author's Note:**

> This exists and survives because of my friend, my teammate, my beta, and my rock [](http://sammichgirl.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://sammichgirl.livejournal.com/)**sammichgirl**. Bless you, bless you, bless you. I love you.

  
**Title:** Creature Comforts  
 **Artist Name:** [](http://dimeliora.livejournal.com/profile)[**dimeliora**](http://dimeliora.livejournal.com/)  
 **Prompt Number and/or Title:** [#2, Through The Peephole](http://slashorific.livejournal.com/304.html)  
 **Fandom:** SPN RPF  
 **Pairing:** Jensen/Jared (Background: Tom/Mike, Chris/Steve, Sophia/Chad)  
 **Rating:** NC-17  
 **Word Count:** 19,169  
 **Genre(s):** Romantic Comedy  
 **Warnings/Content:** Expletives, Small Angst, References to Past Violence, Graphic Sexual Content  
 **Summary:** Jensen Ackles is set to inherit his father’s hotel empire, but first he has to come up with a way to revitalize a failing portion of the franchises, survive training at an extended stay property, and woo the Night Auditor Jared Padalecki.  
 **Notes:** This exists and survives because of my friend, my teammate, my beta, and my rock [](http://sammichgirl.livejournal.com/profile)[**sammichgirl**](http://sammichgirl.livejournal.com/). Bless you, bless you, bless you. I love you.

 

_Hotels are all about presentation and fertile creature comforts.- 1408 Stephen King_

 

 

Despite having a father that is ridiculously famous and wealthy Jensen is not in the public eye. He and his siblings have been kept under the radar their entire lives, because if Alan Ackles learned anything from his colleagues it was the lesson of the Hiltons. Children should not be raised under press cameras and media supposition.

In that way Jensen and his siblings had a very odd childhood. They were in the lap of luxury and forced to work for the extra things they wanted, their parents were on the TV constantly but they never talked about it, and every friend they made was hand-picked to assure their positive influence.

On the surface it may seem dysfunctional or unpleasant, but Jensen had a very happy childhood. He learned responsibility, the value of hard work, and the importance of frugality and consideration. During his rebellious teen years Jensen tried making his own friends, and was quite successful. A tight group of people that had not been vetted by his father or family and loved to just hang out and be teenagers.

It took him two years to realize they were using him for his money and connections. It was the last time Jensen would reach out.

If he’d been in the public eye they probably would have called him reserved, shy, possibly even anti-social. Which may have been true. On the other hand he was focused and sure, whip smart, and mature beyond his years. What Jensen lacked was a chance to show that.

His brother had opted out of joining the family hotel business, his sister was still in school, and Jensen had been working for his father since he received his MBA at 24. Now, thirty and ready for more, Jensen was being offered the keys to the kingdom as his father discussed his retirement.

The only thing standing in between Jensen and the big chair was a persistent drop in guest satisfaction surveys and the resulting lowered profit margin.

Jensen’s response to this had been a little different than the ones spit-balled in the conference rooms of their headquarters. Instead of fancy new amenities or increased advertising Jensen held out a printout and looked his father in the eye.

“That’s our answer.”

The Ackles Hotel empire was comprised of over two hundred locations throughout the United States and a handful of properties overseas, each run by a specific franchise owner, and each monitored and guided by the Ackles Corporation. The printout in front of his father was the Travelocity page for an extended stay franchise in Windcrest, Texas.

“Son, that’s a – what is that?”

Jensen grinned broadly and tapped the page. “The only one of the franchises that can tell us what we’re doing wrong. I’m gonna go there for a few weeks and watch them. Figure out what they’re doing differently and then see how we can apply that model to the rest of our properties.”

Alan tilted his head thoughtfully before nodding and gracing his son with the same proud smile Jensen always treasured. “Sounds like a good plan for a future CEO.”

He was on the road the next evening.

 

\----

 

A variety of issues delayed Jensen’s arrival until after one in the morning. He stepped into the air-conditioned lobby and looked around the trademark collection of blues and greens that marked the inside of every Ackles Hotel. The property itself was small, seventy-four rooms spread over three floors, so the typical amenities that had to be offered were fairly scaled down. The pool was miniature, the business center consisted of two computers and scanner/printers here in the lobby, and the market carried a number of sauces and boxed meals for the businessmen that were their customer base. Jensen knew that the fitness room would be scaled down to three machines and that no room in the building offered anything larger than a queen.

The desk was empty, and the blue sign on the counter announced that if the customer needed help they should ring the bell or use the house phone. Jensen checked his watch for the time before hitting the bell.

There was a loud noise from a room beyond the desk, and then a tall man came stumbling out and pushing his long hair out his eyes. He didn’t have on one of the blazers. Instead his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, Jensen could see sweat stains, and his tie was askew. That was the professional evaluation, because beyond that all Jensen could notice was the man _under_ the clothes.

His eyes were hazel, bluer in this light than green or brown, a strong and stubbled jaw line, soft and wavy chestnut hair, and lips so pink and perfectly curved that Jensen immediately imagined them wrapped around his cock. Something on his face made the man smile wider, and when the dimples came out Jensen used every bit of self-possession and control to not clutch his chest and swoon like a Victorian lady.

“Hello sir and welcome to Ackles Extended Stay in Windcrest. Are you checking in tonight?” The grin settled a bit as the man stepped behind one of the two monitors and pulled out a form and a pen.

“Yeah. Uh – yes I am checking in. Jensen Martin.”

A brief glance from tilted eyes showed amusement. “Actually no, I’m sorry, technically for the next thirty minutes you’re not. But you can go ahead and fill this out with your vehicle information, and then sign saying you know if you smoke in a non-smoking room we’ll charge you a ridiculous fee to spray a lot of air freshener for a few weeks. Also we accept pets, but that fee is reasonable. Are you traveling with a pet today?”

Jensen blinked several times and then looked down at the form before looking back up. He finally spotted the name tag, tilted at an unprofessional angle that labeled the desk clerk as “Jared” with a penned in smiley face.

“I have three questions in order of importance. Why am I not checking in for thirty minutes, why tell me the fee is ridiculous, and why am I not checking in right now?”

The smile tightened, became a bit wary and professional, and then Jared leaned a bit over the counter and spoke conspiratorially. “I have to tell you the truth ‘bout the fee because I’ve got a pretty serious honesty policy. As for the other two? I’m running the night audit and the computers won’t let me check anyone in ‘til it’s finished. But I can offer you a free snack from the market. We got a new batch of Reese’s Cups and I got one in the fridge for later but I’ll offer it you. They’re delicious cold.”

Night audit. Of course he’d manage to get here during the damn night audit.

Jensen spied the closed door to what must have been the office and then looked back to Jared’s wary smile. “Why are you running night audit up here and where’s your auditor?”

“Oh-hoh! I see, you’re Mr. Martin the corporate spy. I take back my offer of delicious treat and demand you take one of the general public’s snacks.” Jared’s smile went back to wide and honest as he took Jensen’s form and wrote on it before dropping it below the desk.

“I’m not a – why would you think I’m a corporate spy?” Jensen watched as Jared fiddled behind the counter before coming up with a keycard envelope.

“You know what a night audit is, and what it’s _supposed_ to have. I’ve been working here for three years and I’m still not too sure what I do.” Jared pointed behind him. “Market. Seriously get a snack. You look like you’re about to fall out.”

“I’d prefer coffee. Is it fresh?” Jensen headed for the urns before he got an answer, because honestly it didn’t matter.

“You’re in luck. I make the best coffee of anyone here. Also, I noticed you didn’t try to argue with my flawless logic.”

Jensen plucked up a styrofoam cup and pumped coffee into it before trying it. It was damn good.

“I get the impression that arguing with you once you’ve made your mind up is a stupid thing to do. Plus, if this is how you treat someone who could get you fired I’m not interested in seeing how you react to someone who riles you up.” He sipped his coffee and looked back to catch Jared grinning like a loon.

“Mr. Bond I would never let you rile me up. You also just admitted to working for the Ackles Corporation.” Jensen choked on his coffee and Jared held up a hand. “It’s cool. My lips are totally sealed, as long as you’re not from the Hiltons trying to figure out our secrets.”

“You think the Hiltons are sending spies around to find out what a tiny extended stay property is doing to keep up business?” He leaned on the countertop and watched as Jared tapped keys.

“I think they would be if they had any damn sense. You’re officially checked in sir. Breakfast is tomorrow from 5:15 to 9:30, and I’d suggest you not be too late because I make a mean microwavable meal.”

“You know I’m not going to give you a good GSS score right? You made me wait and you outted me as a spy.” He more than slightly enjoyed the grin that overtook Jared’s face. How genuine and warm it was.

“But I offered you a free gift and compared you to James Bond. I think that earns me an eight at least.”

Unable to help himself Jensen laughed loudly as he grabbed his bag off the floor and glanced at his room number. “Depends. Which Bond?”

“Connery. Although if you give me a low score, Lazenby.”

Jensen scoffed, “That’s pretty low, man. Now my score is going to be entirely coerced.”

“If you need anything else Mr. Martin please dial zero. I’ll be on the front desk until 7 AM.”

 

\---

 

The room was standard, simple, and Jensen set up his laptop at the big desk and then turned down the covers enough to sprawl out comfortably. The air conditioner was working its heart out, and Jensen appreciated it.

Sleep was short and fitful, he considered the greeting at the desk for a long time, and somewhere around five he gave rest up as a bad job and simply sat down at his laptop. He had twenty emails to answer, most from his assistant Danni, and then he accessed the GSS scores for the property.

He’d studied them before he came here, but he did it again with a different eye. For how small it was, and the budget Jensen knew they ran off of, the place was well kept up. Small scuffs, a chunk missing out of the counter in the lobby, and the carpet needed to be replaced. The scores reflected his own observations, but that didn’t mean much. The aesthetics of the place could be worked on easily.

What interested him originally was that despite being small, often overlooked and not terribly well-funded it had the highest staff scores of any property in their brand. Somehow his feet carried him out of his room and down the hall before he knew where he was going.

He ended up heading through the employees’ only door and finding Jared in a swelteringly hot laundry room folding flat sheets as he hummed along to some pop song.

“Well your score may drop for the music.”

Jared shot him a look and finished off the sheet. “Dude, it’s like three hundred degrees back here and I’m pretty sure that I’m dehydrated from sweating. Plus, unless you can prove your employment you are not supposed to be back here.”

“So you do night audit, front desk, laundry, and breakfast? Do you also work as a valet on weekends?” He leaned against a shelf of towels and watched Jared pluck up another sheet and expertly fold the corners together.

“Oh yeah, and then sometimes I change light bulbs or unclog toilets. Hey, if you come in around three you can see me mopping. It’s ok though, because I’m only doing it until my prince comes and whisks me away.” Jared finished off the sheet and pushed the empty tub in front of the industrial dryer. He wasn’t kidding about the temperature back here.

“Why don’t you turn the air conditioning up?”

“It’s been broken for about a month.” Sweaty hair was pushed back before flopping into its previous position. “We spent the money to fix it on payroll, crazy bastards that we are.”

The washer went off and Jared emptied the load from it and moved it over to the dryer.

“You seem really unconcerned about me taking exception to your tone and firing you. Why is that?” He stepped forward and helped Jared load the dryer.

“Well, partially it’s ‘cause I know that you can’t do that. Our general manager has the power to hire and fire, and you guys just promoted one of my best friends to that position.” Their fingers brushed against each other as Jared pushed the last towel in and then stepped back to swing the door shut. “The other part is because you look like a smart guy, and that means you know guests love me. I’m just too lovable to fire.”

Jensen laughed again, surprising himself but not Jared.

“You do get confusingly high scores for a guy who accuses people of being spies.”

“I don’t accuse people of being spies. I accuse spies of being spies. I have a one hundred percent success rate at that.” Jared grinned at him again showing his dimples.

 

\---

 

Jensen met with the newly promoted general manager an hour later. Sitting in the tiny office behind the front desk he watched as she simultaneously examined the security camera feeds, answered an email, and spoke to him.

“I don’t understand exactly why they sent you here?” Her dark eyes roamed over his face before returning to the big screen with the split views.

“Ostensibly the Ackles Corporation has sent me to evaluate your employees and property. We’re considering pulling your flag.” Jensen adjusted his glasses before meeting Genevieve’s eyes. “That’s what you’re going to tell your employees anyway when they ask.”

She smiled, eyes lighting up as she finally gave him her full attention. “That’s adorable. You know, that you think I’m going to lie to my employees. Why are you really here?”

“Your Rev Par is down ten percent this week and your property has a large amount of improvements that you can’t afford. You wear our flag, but your laundry room has no air conditioning and 211 has been labeled as out of order for three months because of a housekeeping project, which is code for something being broken that you can’t afford to fix.”

Dark brown eyes flared and Genevieve leaned into his space with one delicate finger leveled at him.

“Our Rev Par is down because this is the hottest month in Texas and tourism slows a bit. 211 has been having an air conditioning problem we can’t fix and no one wants to stay in a hotel room that never gets below 90 degrees. But while you’re listing off statistics you forgot to mention that the national average your corporation requires for satisfaction is 85 percent. The majority of your properties run at 70 at best, and that’s if they’re struggling for it. We’ve had 92 for two years. Our occupancy rate only drops below 83 percent in the dead of winter, and then we still hold above 60 which is unheard of. Every employee that works underneath me has an average satisfaction score over 8.5. We’re probably your best franchise and we both know it. So why are you here?”

“Because Mr. Ackles wants to know why so he can duplicate it in all his other properties.” Jensen watched her eyes widen with great pleasure. “Before we dump more money into your property so that your scores totally reflect the level of service you give. Is that a sufficient reason for you to lie to your employees Ms. Cortese?”

For a second her mouth simply moved, and then she shook her head and grinned big and bold. “Let me call a staff meeting. I know just how to give you the answer you’re looking for.”

 

\---

 

 

The meeting room was full to the brim, and Jensen didn’t miss how the employees out of uniform grumbled about the lack of warning and the need to come on their day off. He spotted Jared in the back of the room, slumped down in a chair and asleep, and smiled as the blonde guy sitting next to him ignored the room and texted.

When Genevieve walked in the grumbling increased until a short and stocky man with long brown hair lifted his voice above the others.

“Gen this is bullshit darling. I was gonna spend today with this wild little minx and-“ The long-haired man beside him punched him in the shoulder and he promptly shut up without looking aggrieved.

“I understand your complaints Chris, but you’re going to have to stow them. Someone wake Jared up.” The blonde next to him pushed Jared off his chair, and long limbs flailed as he crashed to the floor. “Ok people, this is Mr. Martin. He’s from corporate.”

Most of the employees sat up a little straighter, took notice, and Jensen made sure his posture was perfect and he looked imposing. He wasn’t entirely sure what Genevieve’s plan was yet, but he imagined it was going to be good.

“He thinks we’re not working hard enough, and that they need to re-evaluate whether we deserve to have the Ackles name attached to our hotel.” Half the room booed, the other half looked surprised and scared. “So we’re going to show him how wrong he is. Starting today Mr. Martin is going to train with at least one of you from every section of the hotel. He’ll start with engineering, so that means Chris and Steve are up first. In three days he’s going to be working with housekeeping so Sophia and Chad you’re going to be in charge of him for a few days. After that it’s Alona and Tom for front desk, Mike for sales, and Aldis for breakfast. Jared you’re going to have him last for night audit. Does everybody understand?”

The brunette man they’d called Chris raised his hand. “Do we treat him like a real trainee or do we kiss his ass ‘cause he’s a corporate spy?”

Jensen eyed Jared, but the man had fallen back asleep. The blonde sitting beside him had his left hand raised as his right hand typed out a message. “I second Chris’s question.”

A tiny brunette towards the front raised her hand and smiled wickedly. “Thirded.”

Genevieve shot him a mischievous look before leaning back against the wall. “We’re treating him exactly like a real trainee. Chad, wake Jared up again. He needs to hear the last part.”

The blonde poked Jared in the ribs again and this time instead of crashing he hit out blindly before cracking one eye.

“We done?” Jared looked around the room blearily before his focus settled on Genevieve. “’Cause I gotta get my beauty sleep if I want to be wooed by the right man.”

Several people groaned and Chris turned in his seat to shoot Jared a lascivious wink. “I told you Sweetheart you say the word and-“

The man beside him hit him again and Genevieve took control.

“So mark 301 as a complimentary room for the next two months, and everybody welcome your new trainee Jensen Martin to the team.”

“Welcome.” The room dutifully echoed before they all filed out.

 

\---

 

“What’s wrong with calling him Rook?”

“Uninspired.”

“But Chris, man, it’s a great nickname and we never-“

“Yeah I know but that don’t change the fact-“

“I say we call him Pretty Boy and-“

“What about Jenny? Jenny seems good so that-“

“Do I get a say in this?”

Jensen had been given a brief introduction to the first set of people he’d be working with. Because of that he knew that the furious conversation going on right now was being had by Alona, Chris, Chad, and Steve.

“Absolutely not.” Three of them chorused.

“Fuck no.” Chad said at the same time.

As this continued Jared wandered through the staff room with a soda in one hand and his eyes at half-mast. He stopped when Alona planted one hand on his chest.

“Jared, chime in, what should we call the trainee/corporate shill?”

Blue-green eyes blinked sleepily before they focused on Jensen. “Rook. He and his eyes are green as grass.”

“That guy dies. Horribly.” Now four sets of eyes took him in with shock while Jared’s lips curled upwards.

“You play Gears?” Steve leaned in like the fate of the world depended on his answer.

“Yeah. Every now and then.” Chris crowed and Chad pumped a fist. “What?”

“You’re in Rook! This is gonna be awesome!” Chris slapped Steve on the back before turning to Jared. “When’s our next game, man? Tuesday?”

“Uh-huh.” Jared nodded to prove his point and then wandered towards the exit.

“Don’t sleep while you’re driving!” Alona sing-songed to his back before turning to Jensen. “Good luck with these guys. See you in a week.”

 

 

\---

 

 

Chris’s idea of awesome began with the three of them standing in front of a series of nails as Chris and Steve bickered good-naturedly about who would take Jensen for the first day and what kind of jobs they would get. Chris won the coin toss and sorted through maintenance slips.

“So here’s how it works: someone notices a problem, they take a slip from the first nail, write it out, drop it on the middle nail, and then we handle it and leave it on the third one. Easy as-oh goddamn it. This is not a red carpet ticket Alona!”

From the other side of the wall divider Alona called back, “V.I.P. Kane! Gets auto-red carpeted the second it comes in.”

“Pretentious douchnozzle you mean.” Chris grumbled as he dropped the slip to the side and finished sorting the others.

Jensen tried, he really did, but to become a V.I.P. in their reward system the guy had to stay with them at least a hundred nights a year. That was a fair amount of revenue.

“Don’t you think his persistent brand loyalty nets him at least a little respect if not a silly maintenance request?”

Chris froze with his head down and a slip in his hand as Steve began to laugh hysterically.

“Ok Rook. You just upped his importance on my list. Congratulations, it’ll be your first fix.”

The ominous tone in Chris’s voice didn’t register as well as it should have.

 

\----

 

In his second hour on his knees plunging the toilet Jensen finally looked up to meet Chris’s smirk.

“I fucking hate you.”

“Now, now, that ain’t appropriate language to use with your trainer. After all Rook, it’s me that’ll keep you from beginning your day like this. Now you want me to finally tell you what you’re doing wrong?”

This would be his fifth offer, and every time before Jensen had heartily rebuffed him. Between his aching knees, his disgust, and the smell Jensen was ready to admit that maybe he wasn’t too good with the plunger.

“Well first you picked up the wrong kind of plunger from the closet.” Jensen dropped the plunger into the bowl and cursed when water sloshed over his pants.

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me that?” Jensen was fairly certain the vein pulsing in his forehead was going to explode.

Chris crossed his arms over his chest and smiled brightly. “Well Rook to be fair I tried, but you insisted you knew everything there was to know about this, I deferred to your wisdom. So the second thing is that we always leave these jobs for last, ‘cause there’s no telling how messy they’re gonna get.”

With the right kind of plunger, and Chris’s condescending tips, Jensen managed to finally get the drain unclogged. Chris was good enough to let him change pants, and then they moved on to changing light bulbs and checking thermostats. By the time their shift was over Jensen was sore, exhausted, and annoyed beyond all belief.

He ordered dinner in as he Skyped Danni.

“Jensen Ackles tell me you are not eating that sodium filled nonsense. You know that stuff is bad for your heart.”

His chopsticks jumped and he dropped his dumpling. It took a lot to not curse at that as well.

“Danni I have had a rough day. I don’t want any more trouble ok? So just tell me what’s going on back home.” His picks the dumpling back up and pointedly eats it as she shakes her head.

“Well for starters everybody wants to know where you are and what’s going on. Your dad is being pretty closed-lipped as usual and that’s not pleasing anybody too much. Then you’ve got Kurt vying for the position everybody knows you’re gonna get with some bullshit move about-“

“Eliminating extended stays.” He looked around the room and then focused back on Danni’s pursed lips. “For executive apartments right?”

Danni winced and then nodded. “I don’t think your dad is buying it.”

But he could be. As much as Jensen’s father loved and respected him at the end of the day he would do what was best for the company. It was his responsibility to his employees after all, and that loyalty and devotion to the cause was one of the reasons the brand had come this far already. If Jensen didn’t come back from Windcrest with a workable model than Kurt Fuller’s ideas about executive suites would have places like this abandoned even as they built tacky glass towers and filled them with chrome suites.

More importantly, if it was Kurt that brought things up it would be Kurt that his father appointed CEO.

“Well we’ll just have to work to make sure he doesn’t. Is J.D. still around or is he off on another expedition?”

Danni’s lips curled and her fingers touched her hair softly in a flirtatious gesture. “Why yes Jensen, J.D. does happen to still be around. Do you need me to seduce him in an attempt to sway him to our cause?”

“Danni, ice it for a second. J.D.’s hated Fuller since day one. No, what I need you to do is get him to take Dad out of the office as much as possible. He’s the only one who could keep Dad busy without him figuring out what’s going on.”

Her grin turned to a pout. “Can I go with them?”

“You do that then who’s gonna answer all my emails?”

A pointed stare had him holding up both hands in surrender. “Just for that you’re getting me some Just Because jewelry. I’m thinking white gold and rubies. You have such good taste.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don’t break the bank and get J.D. on it ok?”

She cut a salute and then winked. “Will do boss. In the meantime you be careful and don’t get – wait what _are_ you doing down there?”

“Training.” She started laughing and he gave her the finger. “Seriously. They have me training with someone from every section of their staff. I was with maintenance today.”

Danni wiped tears from the corner of her eyes and pointed a finger at Jensen. “And that’s why you should always read your emails. Kripke told you the woman he promoted to GM was pretty sharp. She’s gonna take you down Ackles.”

“Shut up Danni and get on it ok? I’m going to get some sleep before I go back to minor electrical issues tomorrow.”

 

\---

 

But sleep didn’t come. Instead Jensen found himself wandering into the lobby at two in the morning in his sweats and a t-shirt, and finding Jared in another sweaty button-up and askew tie. The tilted eyes took him in before dimples appeared and Jared got up to pour him a cup of steaming hot coffee.

“Well look what the cat dragged in. If you missed me that much Mr. Martin all you had to do was dial zero.”

Jensen made a low noise that might have been an insult before pulling an office chair up behind Jared and watching him fill spreadsheets with the daily statistics.

“You entered your tax redemption wrong. It needs to be-“

Jared’s fingers flew over the keys and adjusted the rate to a negative number before he peered over his should at Jensen. The eyes were still bright with amusement, but the smile was a little off.

“I got this Mr. Martin. You don’t have to tell me how to run audit.”

“I’ll believe that when I see this thing balance. Keep going.” He leaned in and took a sneaky whiff of Jared’s ocean breeze cologne mixed with his sweat and natural musk.

“Did you just-“ the bell let out a sharp peal and Jared glanced up with Jensen at the security monitors to see a man leaning heavily against the counter. Jared winced and then fixed his tie. “Excuse me.”

From inside the office Jensen couldn’t hear everything, but the faces he saw on the screen spoke of tension and disagreement. Eventually the man reached over the counter to touch Jared, and Jared pulled back and pointed to the door with a face that brooked no argument.

When the man was gone Jared flopped into the chair and waved a tired hand. “So like I was saying; I got this.”

“You never explained to me why you’re doing front desk and night audit. Those are supposed to be separate jobs.”

Jared’s fingers went back to inputting data as the foxlike eyes moved over Jensen’s face. He saw the moment the younger man decided to be honest, and he was both glad and wary about it. So far no one had been particularly nice or helpful in their honesty.

“Payroll. When I started here they barely had enough to pay me a decent wage just to cover weekends. So the old GM combined the jobs. Same reason I set up breakfast, because they can’t afford the breakfast people to stay the whole time it’s supposed to be going on. So if I overstock it really early it can go unmonitored until someone gets here.”

He doesn’t sound bitter or accusatory. Instead Jared lists off his responsibilities with a slight sense of sadness, as if he’s disappointed or embarrassed.

“So you do three jobs. That’s pretty impressive. Let me guess, you got your eye on a management position one day?”

Jared laughed, head tilted back and throat working in a way that Jensen was particularly fond of rather instantly. He adjusted his glasses to focus on something else for a second.

“Nope. I have no interest in management. I get by on this, and if it goes bad I can fall back on my first career path. Use that degree I got I guess.” He hit save and then changed sheets to check the balance. Jensen didn’t miss that it worked perfectly.

“What’s your degree in if not hotel management?”

There was a slight hesitation, and then Jared closed the spreadsheet and opened the network to start the corporate sheets. “English. American Literature to be specific.”

He felt his eyebrow raise and Jared finally turned in response to the silence and met his eyes.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Jared bit his lip and considered Jensen for a long moment before he turned back to the monitor.

“It’s pretty good pay and I like my co-workers. Teaching didn’t – I didn’t work with it too well. So I decided this would be better. Anyway, I’m totally loyal to the Ackles Corporation. Can’t you tell by my slavish regard for dress code and proper behavior?”

Jensen rolled his eyes as Jared laughed off whatever tension had crept into their conversation. Jensen ended up hanging around to watch Jared mop before he headed back upstairs to try to sleep.

\---

On their third try to reboot the air-conditioner in 211 Jensen wiped grease across his glasses and muttered his way through trying to clean them. Chris used it as an excuse to take a break and light a cigarette.

When he offered one to Jensen it seemed like such a good idea that they ended up sitting under the tiny bit of breeze coming from the window and smoking in companionable silence. A silence that Jensen broke.

“So why’s it taking so long to fix this?”

Chris gave him a look before flicking his ashes. “It needs a whole new compressor, but we can’t really afford to do that. For a while I was just giving it quick fixes, slapping little Band-Aids on so that it would hold until winter, but that stopped working. I can only work with what I got Rook.”

Jensen held his hands up in the same surrender gesture he’d used with Danni the night before.

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’ve been working with you on this thing all day. I’m just trying to figure out what the real problem is.”

“Money.” Chris made a face and then nodded as if he was answering a question Jensen could hear. “I can be frank with you right Rook? You’re cool.”

Jensen had never been called cool before. He paused for a moment before nodding hesitantly.

“I’ve been to a couple other properties. You know, the normal ones, and old man Ackles ain’t got a problem dropping money into them. It’s all about placement and name man, and we got screwed on both deals. So we work our damn asses off to make this place the best it can be and what we get in return is a whole lot of corporate lectures that Mr. Kripke, that’s our franchise owner in case you didn’t know, tries to make sound more positive than they are. They’ll shake their fingers at us like we’re bad children, but you think Ackles ever brings his fancy ass down here? Check out what it is he’s putting down? Not a chance in hell.”

For half a second loyalty almost took over Jensen’s tongue, and then he got it under control.

“If you feel that way about Mr. Ackles then why do you work here?”

Chris looked at him like he was crazy before he broke into laughter. His hand landed full force on Jensen’s fingers and he fumbled with the cigarette momentarily in shock.

“That’s a good one Rook! As if – oh man I gotta tell Steve that one later. Nah Rook, it don’t matter what I think of Mr. Ackles. He ain’t got any part in this. What does it matter what he thinks of us as long as he don’t pull our flag and abandon us?”

Jensen looked around the room and then settled his gaze on Christian’s amused smile. “You have to feel – I mean why here then? You’d probably make twice what you’re making at a Hilton or an Ackles in San Antonio.”

A look came over the sun-beaten face that reminded Jensen of Jared the night before.

“You ain’t been here long enough Rook, but by the end of your training I think you’ll understand. Until then it’s gonna have to be a mystery for you. Hey, we got a thing tonight over at Jared and Alona’s. You wanna come with?”

For a moment Jensen considered saying no. He wanted to go over the last few years’ worth of budgets for the property and see just what exactly they were running on. But no one had ever asked _Jensen_ to hang out before. Not the son of Alan Ackles, but Jensen the man with grease on his face and dirty jeans.

“Yeah. Yeah I would.”

\---

He shows up twenty minutes early. Chris told him to bring cash to throw in for pizza and some beer, so Jensen has a six-pack in each hand. The house is small but well kept. The yard has that crispy look that lawns in Texas get when the owners aren’t willing to shell out a year’s salary for sprinklers.

Jensen crosses the yard and practically leaps up the steps before pausing at the door. If he knocks now will he look overeager? Does that even matter? As far as they’re considered even if he isn’t Jensen Ackles he’s still some corporate axe man they can take their frustrations out on through “training”.

While he’s debating the merits of heading quietly back down the stairs and into the car the door slams open and a huge dog crashes into his legs. The only thing that keeps Jensen from slamming backwards into the porch is a huge pair of muscled arms catching him and holding him up. Jensen’s eyes travel along a tight shirt gripping a broad and well-muscled chest. At the top of the shirt is a throat he recognizes, and on top of that throat a face he definitely knows.

Dimples appear and Jared’s tongue flicks out to wet his ultra-pink lips. “Hey there.”

A dog nose breaks the moment by slamming painfully into Jensen’s balls. He gasps and this time Jared catches the two things of beer when Jensen’s hands reflexively open.

“Bad girl! Bad Lucy! Oh god Jensen I’m so sorry! Sorry! I really thought she’s gotten over that.”

Jensen waves his babbling off and hobbles inside after Jared. He finds Alona setting up giant bowls of chips in front of an old big-screen projection TV. She grins broadly and points to where he’s cupping himself.

“Lucy right? She’s flunked out of obedience school twice for that very trick.”

He nods weakly and lands on the couch as Jared disappears and returns with one of his beers open and ready for him.

“Dude, really, she hasn’t done that in at least two weeks. I thought she was over it.”

Jensen keep the opinion that two weeks isn’t very long for a bad behavior to be totally dismissed and instead accepts the incredibly big and sad puppy eyes Lucy is sending him while he pets her giant, shaggy head. When he looks up Jared is giving him the same look, and Jensen barely resists giving him the same treatment.

A few minutes later Chris and Steve come crashing through the door with Chad in tow. The shorter blonde man is texting furiously again, and he looks up long enough to spy Jensen on the couch and grunt before he goes back to what he was saying through his phone’s keyboard.

“So what’s on the menu tonight?” Steve plops down beside Jensen and reaches for the chips. He gives Jensen a shoulder nudge as if they’ve been doing this forever, and for a moment Jensen can’t wrap his head around what’s happening here.

“I was thinking Mario Party.” Jared’s suggestion is met by a large collection of groans and Chad’s finger. “It’s a good game! Plus, we got a few too many for almost anything else, so why not?”

“You gonna play the Princess again Jay? ‘Cause I guess even the Rook-“ Chris shut up when his mouth was suddenly forced full of chips. Jared’s face was a bright red that Jensen rather enjoyed, and he felt the smile pulling his lips up.

“I like Mario Party.” He’d never played it against anyone but Mackenzie, so it would be interesting to have actual competition.

Alona nodded and walked over to an entertainment center that contained nothing but consoles before booting up a Wii. Chad’s phone finally disappeared for long enough to pass out Wiimotes as Chris and Steve got everybody a fresh beer.

Jared ended up with Bones, and Chad grumbled heartily about being stuck with Daisy.

Three games in they ordered pizza, and Jensen had a fine buzz going as he swallowed down a mixture of meats and cheeses from some local shop they knew as Jared and Alona argued over whose technique at Bumper Balls was better. Jensen wandered out onto the front porch with Steve and Chris, and ended up sprawled out in the porch swing smoking his cigarette and studying how close the two engineers stood to each other.

“So what’s that – why do you guys keep joking about Jared and royalty?”

In the dim light Jensen didn’t miss the sudden tightness to Steve’s face even as Chris’s mouth moved casual and full of his natural drawl.

“Jared’s got a thing ‘bout romance. Loves it when a man goes all out. Couple years ago he was working this gig at-“

“And that’s enough of that.” They all turned to see Jared standing in the doorway with a smile frozen on his face. “Ya’ll just gonna sit out here watching the night pass by or try to be at least a little social?”

\---

By the time Jensen has the hang of figuring out which requests to put first to make the day go by more smoothly it’s time to switch. He finds himself reporting for duty first thing in the morning on Thursday with the necessary uniform and a smile. He’s two hours early.

Jared’s still on the desk when he gets downstairs, finishing off his checklist and counting out his drawer. He smiles at Jensen and holds out a styrofoam cup without asking. Jensen swallows it in gulps and then refills before he’s human enough to speak.

“How the hell do you stay so perky this early in the morning?”

One very long finger waves at him admonishingly as Jared closes his shift and settles back on his heels to wait for his replacement. “It’s late for me Jensen. Night shift means morning is _late_.” That grin becomes impossibly wide and Jensen kind of wants to smack it.

Or kiss it.

“Plus I like the mornings. This early the only people who really come down are regular businessmen and families with kids that won’t let them sleep. I know most of them then, and they’re all real friendly.”

To prove his point an older man walks through the lobby, stops for a Wall Street Journal, and waves to Jared. “Too bad your Cowboys are going down this season, huh Jared?”

“It’s too early to make such bad predictions Mr. Hudak. Have a nice day sir. God loves you even if you root for the Patriots.”

The man cackled the whole way out of the door and then Jared turned that same smile on Jensen, wide and generous, and Jensen wondered briefly if Jared was made of some weird combination of drugs and sugar. Something inherently inhuman. He apparently said that aloud because Jared started to laugh before he slapped Jensen lightly on the shoulder.

“People don’t have to be grumpy assholes in the morning to be human Jen.” He froze directly after saying it, his eyebrow cocked, and Jensen realized what Jared had done.

“Yeah Jay, but they do have to change facial expressions. Occasionally not smile. How do your cheek and jaw muscles not hurt?”

Tension gone again, Jared relaxed against the counter and waggled an eyebrow. “My jaw muscles are exceptionally strong. Years of hard candies.”

When Alona relieved him Jared spent the next hour Jensen was waiting sitting on the bench in the lobby talking about nothing of consequence.

It was the best conversation Jensen had ever had.

\---

Housekeeping wasn’t any easier than maintenance. In fact, Jensen missed maintenance after his third toilet.

Despite multiple tries he couldn’t get a hang of the fold for the toilet paper, and Chad thought it was hilarious that Jensen kept mixing up face towels with hand towels.

“It’s all in the folds, dude. The folds give the size away. So, like, look ok here’s one that’s a rectangle and that’s a hand towel. It goes on top of the other two. Body on bottom, if y’know what I’m saying, then face, then hand. Got it?”

Jensen missed Chad’s cell phone more than he missed maintenance detail.

It was only after he reached for bed sheets without the latex gloves Chad had given him that he realized just how out of his depth he was. The wet sheets had Jensen fleeing to the bathroom, hands held out in front of him, and Chad laughing like a lunatic. When Sophia came to see what was going on her face struggled to remain sympathetic instead of amused.

“Honey you always wear the gloves. Always. You take those gloves off and who knows what you’re touching. Haven’t you ever seen one of those _Sixty Minutes_ pieces about hotels?”

Jensen looked up from his red and raw hands. “I’m _sleeping_ on those sheets. How much bleach does the laundry machine use?”

“Uh, enough?” Chad looked to Sophia for confirmation and she nodded sagely. “Yeah man, enough. It’s cool. You’re not sleeping in jizz.”

Jensen stared at his hands in horror.

\---

“Danni housekeeping _sucks_.”

She looked up from her nails long enough to give him the fakest sympathy he’d ever seen.

“This was your crazy plan Ackles. Not mine. Plus it’ll do you some good to see how the other half lives. That’s the plot of so many romcoms it’s not even funny. Hey is there a boy there? Maybe you’re in one!” Her eyes brightened, lips curving widely, and then the smile stopped and the laughter in her expression died at whatever she saw in Jensen’s face.

“No Danneel. Stop right there.”

“Oh my god Jensen there’s a boy. Which one is it? One of the rugged maintenance guys? The creepy texting dude?”

Jensen let his head hit the desk repeatedly as Danneel counted off suspects on her freshly painted fingers. When she hit jackpot her hands started to dance in place.

“The night auditor. You’re falling for the night auditor. You romantic insomniac you. This is adorable! Oh god I gotta tell everybody.”

His head jerked up so fast all his sore and aching muscles screamed. “You’ll tell nobody Danni. Promise me. Nobody.”

She arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Excuse me? Why not? Jensen Ackles finally let himself love someone. This is front page news Jen. This is big stuff.”

Each finger counted off a point against them. “He’s an employee. He lives several hours away from me. He’s super energetic and positive. He thinks my last name is Martin and that I’m some sort of hatchet man that’s come to take his job away.

“Well then tell him the truth idiot. They don’t need to think that you’re a corporate spy to tell you how they run their business so well. You and the general manager acted like weird movie villains and came up with this super convoluted plot that-“

“Danni.” She stopped at the tone of his voice. “They can’t think I’m here because they’re outshining everyone. If they knew that it would be too simple for them to act any way they wanted. I need them to be desperate for it. I need them fighting for their jobs.”

Except they didn’t seem to be. That was the thing Jensen couldn’t quite figure out yet. Chris and Jared had both alluded to it at this point, but no one seemed desperate. They treated Jensen like he was one of them, as if he really was some sort of bizarre trainee that belonged to each of them. The nicknames, the inclusion at game night, and all of it didn’t add up.

They should have been acting like everyone else had his entire life. Even if they didn’t know how much power he really had when it came to their employment they knew he was considering pulling their right to be called an Ackles hotel, which meant that their jobs would end summarily.

“I gotta go.”

“Wait Jen-“

He disconnected the call and stormed his way downstairs.

\---

Jared was right where he always was, folding flat sheets as his eyes traveled over the security monitors there to assess the front desk. He looked up to Jensen and gave that big grin before it faltered and died.

“Jen? What’s wrong?”

“Why the hell aren’t any of you afraid of losing your flag?”

Blue-green eyes assessed him for a long time before Jared put the sheet down and stepped closer.

“Because it doesn’t matter to us.”

“Your jobs don’t matter?” He couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe the casual way Jared said it or the expression on Jared’s face. As if Jensen was the one speaking nonsense.

“No our jobs matter. Chad’s saving up for a ring, Gen’s helping her family out, and I’m paying off school loans. Everybody’s got bills they gotta pay and this helps with that. What doesn’t matter is the name. We’re not doing well ‘cause the Ackles slapped their last name onto the building’s façade Jensen, we’re doing well because of who we are. With one or two minor exceptions we all work together really well and we like each other. That shows, and people wanna be around that. They wanna be a part of it. For a little while we make them feel like they are.”

Jensen could feel his mouth gaping, open and fish-like, and he knew he had to look ridiculous.

“I don’t understand.”

Jared’s eyes went soft and wide and he crossed the little laundry room and put his hands on Jensen’s shoulders. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that.”

He looked from Jared’s hands, up the corded forearms, and along the broad shoulder to Jared’s lips. He couldn’t meet his eyes. “So this is some kind lesson in humility? See how the other half lives and bonds?”

The laugh that responded was almost bitter. “Humility? That really what you think? Yeah, ok, you’re the Rook and that means you gotta learn about shitty toilets and sperm covered sheets, but it also means you’re our Rook. You’re one of the team Jensen. Gen didn’t do that to make you see what’s it like not to wear a suit and wield whatever power you actually got. She did it because it made you one of us, and that means you got to understand what we really do and how we do it. We haven’t been kissing your ass because right now you’re not our boss you’re our friend. A position I think most of us would be willing to let you keep without too much hassle.”

Jensen finally looked up, and what he saw in Jared’s eyes was warm, inviting, and stirred heat low in his belly like no look ever had before.

“So I’m your friend?”

Jared’s smile turned real again. “Yeah. If you wanna be.”

Without his permission or control Jensen’s mouth moved forward. “What if I don’t?”

Hurt crossed Jared’s face instantly, and Jensen felt the joke die right there.

“Well that’s fine. It’s fine.” He released Jensen’s shoulders and stepped backwards. In response Jensen caught his wrist and pulled him closer in the heat of the room.

“What if I wanted more than that?”

In Jensen’s life he’d had so few honest friends he could count them on one hand. As a consequence of that sort of paranoid life his love interests had been even fewer and further between. The majority of his experience amounted to one night stands with drunken men too stupid to know who he was.

Of all the illicit moments he’d shared, the stolen kisses and quick fucks, nothing compared to the feeling of Jared gripping his short hair and tilting his head before he devoured Jensen’s mouth. It was quick, hard, and everything he’d ever dreamed a kiss could be. Jared’s tongue flicked against his lower lip, not seeking entrance but simply tasting, and then Jared was pulling back and breathing like he’d run a race.

“Yeah. If you wanna be.”

\---

The next morning Jensen makes a perfect bed on his third try. Sophia cheers and Chad looks up from his cart where his phone is hidden long enough to look impressed and say, “Dude.”

It means more to him than he thought it would.

By the time he was moved to front desk Jensen had taught Sophia a more efficient way to pack her cart, discussed the merits of action movie sequels with Chad while deep cleaning the pet smell out of a carpet, and almost been bitten by a dog the guests didn’t put the warning sign up for.

He sat and waited with Jared for Alona to come on shift.

Their kiss hadn’t been repeated, although Jensen could still remember every detail of it perfectly, but Jared’s teasing had taken on a new quality. Every night he came down to the lobby and Jared greeted him with coffee and a smile.

They talked about sports, their families (Jensen being as vague as possible while still telling embarrassing stories about his little sister), and their dreams. The morning of his first day on front desk Jensen finally broached the question that was making him crazy.

“Why does everybody keep making jokes about you and princes?”

Jared laughed and shifted uncomfortably behind the desk as he counted out the drawer.

“You know how everybody’s got their little quirks? Like some people have to tap doorknobs or have volume controls at an even level?” He didn’t look up while he was asking, and that was Jensen’s second sign that Jared was nervous about his answer.

“Yeah. You have a nervous tic regarding fairy tales?”

“Uh. No. I’m a hopeless romantic. It’s been – it’s led to problems in the past. Big ones. They’re joking because, present company excluded, I have a bad habit of falling for the wrong guy with the right circumstances. You know what I mean?” Jared finally glanced up, flashed a nervous and fake smile, and then shuffled the fives in his hand before dropping them back into the drawer.

“I think so. And you join them in that why?” He really didn’t, but he also had no interest in discussing Jared’s past hook-ups at the moment.

The younger man blushed; head ducking down and hair falling into his eyes. Temptation almost too great to resist.

“Well I figured if I kicked in it would slow down. This may be hard to believe but it actually has.”

Jensen leaned over a bit as Alona entered the outer lobby. “You have tonight off right? Because of the weekend?”

Jared nodded slowly as he watched Alona step through the last door and eye them before heading for the employee door.

“I want to take you on a date. Something really fancy to properly woo you. What do you think?”

He thought there would be more blushing, stammering, but instead there was a fleeting darkness in Jared’s eyes before he smiled and nodded.

“That’d be great. Just tell me when you’re coming?”

 

\---

 

Front desk work ended up to be the same amount of demands and stress as maintenance and housekeeping, but with a different flavor.

Jensen learned quickly that there were two kinds of guests: the well-informed and the criminally stupid. They had thirty arrivals that day and Jensen was required to cover the same speech with every single one of them regarding amenities, special requests in their rewards profiles, and sadly their arrival dates.

Much like with Jared on the night audit only one person worked the counter a shift to save payroll money. Because of that there were no breaks and no time to slow down. Each shift had a checklist, and it included laundry and cleaning. Jensen found himself using the rare breaks in guests arriving at the front desk to vacuum, mop, and scrub. The laundry room during the day was so hot that both he and Alona left it alone with Genevieve’s blessing.

At the end of his shift Jensen headed back up to his room and took a long bath before going through local options and finding the right restaurant. They didn’t take reservations, but he doubted they’d be _that_ busy.

To his shame, he ended up calling Danni and asking her for fashion advice.

“Don’t put the contacts in. I know you like them, and they make you feel cool, but leave the glasses on.”

He raised an eyebrow at her while he pulled the black polo she’d insisted on over his head. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because the glasses give you that dirty teacher look. Like you’re gonna bend him over a desk and spank him. Without them you’re kinda girly pretty. Unless you think he likes girly pretty?”

Jensen grabbed his glasses before shoving them on. “Shut up.”

“You love me. And this guy apparently. When do I get to meet him by the way?”

“When I lose all common sense and decide to self-destruct.”

 

\---

 

Jared is wearing the most incredibly molded jeans Jensen has ever seen. He stares at them for a long moment before he realizes he needs to look up at Jared’s face instead of staring at his long muscled legs and tightly accented groin.

When he does look up Jared is grinning through a flush. “You look good too Mr. Bond.”

Jensen is too busy shooting Jared little looks, studying the curve of his lips and the way his long fingers tap his knee, to notice the parking lot in time. Jared’s eyebrow lifts and something odd quirks his lips down.

“This is where you wanted to go Jen?”

“The uh – the internet suggested it was-“

He doesn’t get to finish because Jared taps his hand and slides out of the passenger seat. Jensen leaves the car too and is surprised when Jared takes the keys from him and gets back in to drive.

They end up at a run-down looking place in the middle of nowhere. The tables are almost entirely full though, and several people greet Jared by name. Mary’s is casual to the extreme, and despite Jared eating his body weight in pulled pork and onion rings the bill only gets up to thirty bucks.

Conversation is easy between them. The atmosphere is perfect, and Jensen finds that he and Jared can talk as if they’ve known each other forever. They have a mutual affection for science-fiction, a love/hate relationship with cable television, and a thing for classic rock.

At the end of the night Jared sits in the passenger seat with his hand on the center console near Jensen, and Jensen can’t help but reach out and take it. The palm is slightly damp, air-conditioning or no Jared’s prone to sweating, but Jensen kind of likes it. He seems to like everything about Jared.

“Wanna do this again? I have tomorrow night off too.” Jared’s head tilts back on the leather headrest and Jensen shows monumental restraint and doesn’t lick the column of his throat.

“That’d be great. I’ll do it right tomorrow. Find a place that takes reservations and has-“

The big hand wrapped around his squeezes tight and Jensen glances down briefly before looking up to Jared’s face.

“Remember how I told you I kept dating the wrong guys with the right circumstances?” Jensen grunted because Jared’s eyes were closed and he wouldn’t see a nod. “Don’t be that guy. I’m sure you make a fair amount as a whatever your title is, but I had fun tonight. Didn’t you have fun?”

In the streetlights Jared’s eyes sparkled when they landed on him, and Jensen gave in to the temptation and leaned forward to press his lips against Jared’s. This time it was his tongue that quested outwards, and found no resistance. Instead it dipped easily into Jared’s open mouth and tasted along his teeth before finding the slick muscle of his tongue.

They stayed like that for a long time, tongues wrapping around each other and lips pressing against lips, and then Jensen pulled back to breathe and study.

“This was the best date I’ve ever had.” It wasn’t an exaggeration. The few men he’d actually dated had all been stuffy, rich pricks, and they’d all demanded places far nicer than the one he’d originally tried to take Jared to.

Jared’s smile was big and bright in the dim car interior, and he pecked Jensen’s lips again before pulling back.

“Then tomorrow when you pick me up choose a place I’ll like instead of what you think I’m supposed to like. Okay?”

“Okay.”

 

\---

 

He spends the next day dealing with guests rushing in and out in an attempt to leave before some festival starts, or to arrive and settle in before it starts. They’ve got him working in between shifts, so he starts later in the morning with Alona and then leaves before Tom gives the desk to the weekend night auditor, a woman he’s only met once named Liane Balaban.

More than once he scrambles to apologize to people for things that aren’t his fault and it amazes him that Tom and Alona are so good at keeping a smile firmly fixed on their faces no matter what the guests are saying.

Alona and Tom have wildly different styles. As the new Front Desk Manager Alona has more responsibility, but she’s just as bright and perky as always. Tom approaches situations with a mixture of charm and gravitas, and Jensen isn’t sure which style he prefers. They both have their perks.

When the day is finally over Jensen has learned that blazers are a stupid requirement, Jared is lacing his coffee with something to make it so delicious, and people have a bad habit of being nice enough he can’t condemn the entire world for the major assholes that keep showing up in front of him.

He has a particularly proud moment when a guest takes the time to come back to the front desk towards the end of his shift and praise him for suggesting Mary’s. The man adds that he’s going to give Jensen the highest marks possible on his GSS, and Jensen has to bite back the laughter and thank the man seriously.

Jared’s waiting for him at the front door of his house, and tonight his shirt is black and fitted against his skin as well as his jeans. Jensen wipes his mouth as surreptitiously as he can.

Alona’s advice pays off in a big way as Jensen spends an hour torn between amusement at how hard it is for Jared to play mini-golf with a club that is not even vaguely suitable for a man his size, and lust at how low Jared has to bend over every time he takes a shot. He has a lingering suspicion that Jared’s hamming up the difficulty has less to do with being funny than knowing that Jensen can’t stop staring.

They eat hot dogs dripping with condiments as they stroll through a local park, and Jared insists on going back and paying the vendor for extra buns so they can feed the ducks. He gets into a loud argument with a duck that he claims is a bully, and Jensen laughs so hard his stomach hurts and his eyes are watering. When he’s just about to get his breath Jared kisses him, and Jensen’s light-headed and breathless again.

In his thirty years Jensen’s never had this much fun, and when the night is supposed to end he finds himself standing in Jared’s front doorway not wanting to leave.

“We’re not fucking tonight.” Jensen sucks in a breath at the statement and his eyes fly up to meet Jared’s friendly and intense gaze.

“I didn’t – I wasn’t going to-“

“It’s okay Jen. I want to, but we’re not going to. That being said, you wanna spend the night?”

It’s cruel and unusual, and Jensen’s willing to be tortured if he can just get more time. If he can hold onto this feeling of being normal and happy. Hold on to Jared.

They end up in Jared’s bedroom, and when Jensen mentions his lack of toothbrush Jared blushes before holding up a hand. “You have to swear that you’re just Jensen right now and not Jensen the Corporate Suit.”

He feels his eyebrow lift towards his hairline. “Yeah. I swear.”

Jared rummages in his dresser and then holds out one of the mass-produced plastic toothbrushes they keep for guests. He starts to laugh before he can stop himself, and Jared manages to look guilty.

“You’re a thief! A toothbrush thief!”

“Well they were – it was a – look I totally planned on bringing them back. I grabbed a handful for a family and then they didn’t need them-“

“Jay it’s ok, it’s fine, believe me.” He grabs up the toothbrush and pops open the wrapper. “After all, I like your rebellious ways just fine.”

Jared’s eyes travel down the length of Jensen’s frame and leave shivers in their wake. “I’m pretty infamous for my badness.”

“Yes. For example whatever drug you spike that disgusting cheap coffee with to make me think it’s good.”

They end up cramped in the small bathroom, Jared half in his shower as he tries to brush his teeth and plead his innocence at the same time.

Jared’s bed is huge, as it has to be, and they lie side by side with their hands entwined in the dark. Jared has stars stuck to his ceiling like a little kid, and he happily points out constellations to Jensen and talks about how he had the same set-up when he was young.

“So tell me about these wrong guys.”

Silence falls over them, and Jensen is a little worried he’s crossed a line.

“Why?” There’s tightness to the tone, and Jensen leans over in the dark and brushes his lips against Jared’s chin, his cheek, and then finds his lips and kisses him firmly. They stay that way for a bit; lips against lips as they share breath. Then Jensen pulls back and speaks softly.

“I don’t want to make the same mistakes they did.” Which is true. He doesn’t know how to do this, to woo a man like Jared, because he’s honestly never wooed anyone. He’s seduced them, and he’s courted people as rich and powerful as himself, but he’s never done this.

Jared’s laugh was a little more relaxed, but Jensen could feel the lack of smile with his mouth. He pulled back to give Jared space even as he moved closer so they were pressed together shoulder to hip.

“Well, the first one was Peter. He was the captain of the high school basketball team, and we were both in the closet. Popular, handsome, you know the clichés, and I thought we could be something. So when it was just us we were. Right up until he wanted to go all the way and I wasn’t down with it. Then he took a picture of me going down on him with his phone and posted them all over the school. I got suspended for three days, but I couldn’t prove it was him so he walked away clean. Well, minus what Christian and Steve did to him.”

Jensen squeezed Jared’s hand once and considered that. “You knew them even then?”

“They were my big brother Jeff’s friends first, and he’d just graduated. They looked out for me.” There’s a smile Jensen can hear now, and he lifts Jared’s hand to his mouth and kisses the fingers.

“The next guy was named Elijah, and he was the son of the chieftain of a tribe around here. Which, to his friends and family, kinda made him royalty I guess? I lost my virginity to him in the back of a pick-up on the reservation, and that was fun. What wasn’t so much fun was when I tried to leave him a month later he got his friends together and beat the shit out of me. Broken rib, concussion, the whole nine yards.”

Jensen sucked in a breath and Jared lifted his hand and pressed it against his face.

“Then there was – well anyway it’s been a string of them. So, you know, my bar is set pretty low. You’d have to go out of your way to be that bad.”

He rolled onto his side and pressed his mouth against the strong column of Jared’s neck, kissed along the skin until he found Jared’s earlobe, and then gently nipped at it.

“I would never do that to you. Humiliate you or hurt you.”

“I know.” Jared’s voice was soft in the darkness. Lacking its usual booming charm and achingly vulnerable in a way that made Jensen need to take action without knowing what that action was. “I know.”

For the first time in a long time Jensen sleeps comfortably without waking until the alarm goes off. Jared’s already up, a cup of coffee waiting for Jensen and his hair sleep-tousled and insane as he pours more in a thermos for the rest of the day.

It’s domestic, sweet, and Jensen stops at the door and then walks back in to kiss the sleepy young man breathless before he leaves for work.

 

\---

 

The pattern repeats and continues. Jensen goes to two gaming nights in a row with the rest of them, and they spend a night at the bar. The group changes in size due to shifts, but no matter who is or isn’t there Jensen is completely welcome and totally at peace with them after the first time.

Even when he ends up playing Call of Duty with Chris and Chad, Jared at work, there’s no tension or awkwardness. It’s as if he’s always been there, always been trading vulgar jokes and quips, and he loves it. Danni tells him he looks like he’s on vacation, and despite how tired he is at the end of the day or how sore his feet are from standing behind the desk, or the constant stress of pretending to be happy while being yelled at he feels that way.

It’s a relief to not be Jensen Ackles. To leave the suits in the closet and not be stared at or have people whispering behind their hands that he’s only there because of his father no matter what he does to prove himself. It’s so good to be liked for who he is, and until now Danni’s the only person who’s ever done that outside of his family.

On his last day of front desk duty Jensen forgets that while he’s supposed to be a corporate suit he’s not supposed to be untouchable. In his defense, the guy earns it.

He’s working the afternoon shift with Alona, and waiting for Jared to come get him so they can go out to eat. Jared insists he knows a local Chinese buffet that will blow Jensen’s mind, and he’s daydreaming about Jared’s lips pursed around noodles, cheeks sucked inwards, when the trouble starts.

Jensen looks up from the laundry he’s folding when he hears Alona’s voice rise, and Jensen drops the sheet without thinking and bursts through the open doorway to the space behind the front desk.

The man is obviously drunk, leaning over the counter, and he has a hand on her shoulder. His face is twisted and angry, and Jensen catches the tail end of his statement.

“-pay you to service me, so do your job slut.”

Jensen doesn’t see anything but red. He grabs the guy’s wrist and twists viciously, ignores the scream of pain, and pushes to make sure the douchebag will go a distance back before he maneuvers Alona behind him.

“What the fuck man! Jesus!” The drunk’s eyes are glossy and wide as he cradles his wrist.

“What room are you in?” Jensen doesn’t even recognize his voice, all growl and ground glass, but the man’s shock is giving into his own temper.

“I’m gonna have you fired and arrested! You can’t assault the guests you idiot.”

Jensen strides around the counter and grabs the man’s shirt before he starts talking. “You listen to me you piece of shit. All the desks in these places are wired in case of situations like this. You sexually harassing that woman is enough, but touching her assures you a nice long stay with a bunch of bigger assholes than yourself. You can go get your shit from your room and leave, and we’ll charge you for the rest of your stay, or you can stay in here and push me until I call the cops. Are we understood?”

“You can’t do that! I want to speak to management. I’m gonna get your ass fired!”

He laughs, low and serious, before he pushes the guy into the wall and releases him to reach towards the desk. “Alona can you hand me a sheet of paper and a pen?”

She does, quickly, and then stands at full attention like she’s not sure if she wants to run or rush in with him. Jensen writes quickly and holds the paper out.

“I am management you feckless loser, but that’s the direct line to Alan Ackles’ office. You’re gonna get his night time secretary Samantha if you call right now. Tell her Jensen said you need to speak to Alan. While you’re doing that though Alona and I are calling the cops.”

The guy looked from the paper to Jensen and back. He waved it threateningly as he backed out. “I’m going to call this!”

“Please do, and have a nice trip fucking off!” His hands are locked into fists, arms trembling with the adrenaline of needing to rip and rend, and that’s why he jumps and pulls his fist back when a big hand lands on his shoulder.

It’s not Alona. It’s Jared, eyes wide and something dark and hot in the depths of them, and without a word he grabs Jensen’s wrist and tugs him lightly. Jensen goes with it, lets Jared enfold him, and listens to the rumble in the taller man’s chest as he talks over Jensen’s head.

“You alright Al?”

“Yeah.” Her voice shakes a little, but she takes a deep breath and clears her throat. “Yeah. That was awesome Jen. Thank you. Are you gonna be in trouble with Mr. Ackles?”

He realizes they must think he’s just self-destructed. That he’s facing a potential firing squad for sending an angry guest to the head of their company. Their _boss_.

“I’ll be fine. You sure you’re ok?”

Jensen turns enough to see her nod, and thinks that maybe he should tell her that she’s not in danger of losing her job either. He would too, except Jared drags him backwards out the door and to his truck. Jensen gets shoved none too gently into the passenger side and then they’re taking the short ride to Jared and Alona’s house.

Three times Jensen tries to talk and Jared makes a hand gesture to stop him. When they get to the house Jared practically carries him up the stairs and into his bedroom. They end up with Jensen pressed against the door and Jared on the floor on his knees fumbling with Jensen’s belt.

“Jay – Jay what the hell-“

He loses the power of speech when Jared mouths along the line of his rapidly hardening cock. Jensen’s fingers move autonomously of him and tangle into Jared’s hair as the younger man finally gets his pants open and his cock out.

Jensen can only watch, moaning helplessly and tugging on the soft strands of Jared’s hair as that pink tongue he’s watched so much darts out to collect the pre-come at the tip of his dick before dipping into the slit. Foxy eyes take him in; stare through him, as the tongue dances up and around the head and then slides down the vein and along the shaft.

There’s nothing to say now other than, “Fuck.” Jared moans like the word is a caress and then wraps his soft lips around Jensen’s cock before sinking down.

The blowjob is aggressive, Jared sucks hard and Jensen can’t help but tug his head at a faster pace while his hips make small thrusts deeper and deeper into Jared’s mouth. The other man moans around his cock, one hand playing with Jensen’s balls as the other dips out of sight towards Jared’s crotch.

He wants to stop him, wants the joy of taking Jared out and returning the favor, but his head isn’t in control right now. The wet heat engulfing him is everything, and when Jared’s eyes close and he lets out a muffled noise around Jensen’s cock and jerks in place on his knees Jensen shouts once and comes down Jared’s throat.

For a minute everything is silent as Jensen slumps into the wall, Jared laving his spent cock gently, and then he finally finds his voice.

“What was that?”

“I knew you were a good guy.” Jared’s voice is rough, fucked out, and there’s a weight there that Jensen can’t understand. “I _knew_ it.”

 

\---

 

A cheer greets them when they finally stumble out of the bedroom, and Jensen’s head jerks up to see Christian, Steve, Alona, and Sophia standing in the living room with huge grins.

“Jay you sly dog! With the Rook!” Chris holds a beer out to Jensen and claps Jared on the shoulder. “You two crazy kids.”

Alona steps forward and wraps herself around Jensen tightly. He smells her conditioner as he returns the hug, and then she pulls back and smiles up at him with teary eyes.

“Thanks so much Jen. Really, that was wonderful. If you get in trouble and I can help just tell me ok? Anytime.”

Steve shakes his hand and Sophia gives him a hug too. Chad shows up in the middle of this with a stack of pizzas and a broad smile. He demands a high five from Jensen before pulling out a stack of rented movies.

The group of them end up filling the living room, Jared half in Jensen’s lap, as a string of shitty horror movies plays on the TV in front of them. It’s comfortable like it always is, but Jensen doesn’t miss the thoughtful look on Steve’s face, or the way the other man looks away when Jensen catches him staring.

 

\---

 

His days with Mike move so quickly Jensen still isn’t sure what happened. The man is some sort of mad genius, and between bits of insanity (at one point Mike openly asks him if he’s ever tried to eat Superman ice cream while having an acid flashback, and then assures him it’s easier than it sounds) Mike manages to book two tour groups and a large party for a corporate convention.

The man scares Jensen, but he impresses him too. Jensen doesn’t miss the way Tom’s eyes follow them as they move about the property, and that goes on the list of things to ask Jared about.

Aldis ends up being one of his favorite coworkers even if the assignment is one of his least favorite. He’s laid back, super friendly, and manages to make Jensen laugh in the first thirty seconds. The free breakfast they serve is almost entirely made up of pre-packaged, microwaveable nonsense and Jensen hates making it. The plastic gloves are a bit too narrow for his hands, and he has to wear them constantly as he mixes liquid scrambled eggs and pours out fruit salad. He only spends two days with Aldis, and then Genevieve insists he’s doing such a good job he gets to take the weekend off and start with Jared on Monday.

Jensen does take the weekend off, but he spends it at Jared’s house. They play video games with the others, Jared makes him a killer Spaghetti Bolognese, and Jensen plays up his moans around the forkfuls of pasta just to see Jared’s eyes darken.

They end up in the bedroom a lot, hands roaming everywhere and mouths moving and marking. Jensen sucks bruises on Jared’s ribs, along his collarbone, and bites and nips along his sides. He finally gets his mouth on Jared’s cock, Jared’s _very large_ cock, and every second of stretched jaw pain is worth the whimpers and curses that spill from those innocent looking pink lips.

They take a shower together, constantly elbowing and knocking into one another in the small space, and Jensen fingers Jared awkwardly while Jared jacks him off. It’s easy to wash the traces of their orgasms off afterwards, but the water is already cold at that point.

Jensen thinks constantly of what it would be like to have Jared in his home. His shower is the size of Jared’s entire bathroom with space to spare, and he can imagine Jared’s skin flushed with heat as Jensen spreads him out in the whirlpool tub and stretches him open.

He thinks of what it would be like to have Jared in his bed, soft cotton sheets wrapped around Jared’s slim waist and tanned shoulders pressed against Jensen’s mouth when he wakes him up. No more listening to the loud sounds of the neighborhood around them at night, or worrying about someone forgetting Jared has company and busting in.

He’s still not sure Chris is telling the truth when he says that was an accident.

Still, pleasant buzz there or not Jensen is starting to wonder. Eventually he’s going to have to tell Jared the truth, and at first that consideration was kind of nerve-wracking. There’s a lot that could go wrong. He’s endangering his record with the company, his standing with his father, and his future position as CEO. When it began that bothered him; but now it’s something else.

It’s only been a month, but Jensen is terrified at the idea of hurting Jared. Of losing him. He’s falling for the guy, fast, and he’s never done that before. He has no protection in place against the bald honesty of Jared’s reactions, the simplistic joy Jared takes in everything Jensen does, and the ease with which Jensen has been folded into Jared’s life.

His talks with Danni get shorter, more evasive, and his friend is starting to look concerned. She probably should be.

The first night he shows up to work the audit with Jared is the first time he considers spilling the truth. He’s spent time with Jared during his shifts before, but he’s never actively participated. When he comes in he’s resolved that if Jared gives him an opening he’s going to be honest. It doesn’t happen.

Night audit is surprisingly busy. Between people showing up late for their rooms, the ridiculous amount of paperwork, and all the housekeeping duties Jared has to keep the place up Jensen realizes he’s seriously underestimated from how laid back Jared is how hard his job is. By the time Katie relieves them in the morning Jensen is wrecked, but Jared warns him against going to sleep immediately.

“Come on Jen. We’ll go to Denny’s and get real breakfast. You sleep now and you’ll be wiped by tonight.” The big eyes are puppy-dog wide and pleading, and Jensen gives in. After breakfast they take Lucy for a walk, and Jensen watches as Jared rolls around with his dog in the grass laughing and playing, sun shining in his hair and lighting up his skin.

He’s totally fucked. Losing Jared at this point is not something he can face. This isn’t lust anymore or a crush on something he’d never had before. He’s in love with the guy, head over heels; scream it from the rooftops, cheesy music and poetry in love.

Jared looks over from under Lucy’s paws and waves one big hand as those lips curl up and his eyes squint against the sun. “Jen! Jen save me!”

And he tries.

 

\---

 

Jensen finds himself on a shift with Liane, and that’s something new. She’s efficient but different than the rest of the crew. When Alona found out he was going to spend the night with the weekend auditor her mouth tightened and she shot a look to Chris before turning a brittle smile to Jensen.

“Have a good night and be careful Jen.” It’s an odd thing to say and he points that out.

Chris’s hand waves lazily as he sips on his ninth beer. Jared is sprawled out on the couch with his head in Jensen’s lap and his empty beer on the floor beside his lax hand. Jensen can’t help the way his hand cards through Jared’s hair, it’s second nature at this point.

“She’s a woman of many opinions and most of them ain’t popular. Also, kinda bitchy.”

Steve doesn’t correct Chris or shush him, and that surprises the hell out of Jensen.

“But I thought we were all a big family?” He doesn’t miss that he includes himself, and that no one corrects him. It still sets off that warm spark.

“Yeah, well, every family has its black sheep, man. In the case of Liane she’s just out for herself, and that makes her not one of us. We tried, but all she cares about is coming out on top.”

So he goes assuming that Alona wants him to be careful because the identity he’s claimed makes him a good target for a perpetual ladder-climber. Despite that Liane is very professional and doesn’t bring up his position until about halfway through the night when she’s leaning over Jensen’s shoulder and studying the spreadsheet.

“Jensen, I was wondering if there were any positions open at corporate after you bump Jared up?”

It’s casual, totally easy, as if she’s praising his work or commenting on the weather. Her hair tickles his jaw as his ire shoots through the roof.

“Excuse me?” It’s icy, taut, and she pulls back but there’s no trace of shame on her face.

“I was wondering if I could get the same deal as Jared. You know, if you’re into girls too. If not, hey, no harm no foul right?” The smile she gives him is predatory and bright. “I could always just tell people that Jensen Ackles gives promotions based off the tightness of a man’s ass.”

He’s pretty sure he pulls a muscle trying to stand from the chair slowly and in total control of himself. Ackles. She called him Ackles. “How the hell did you know my last name and why would you think whatever is happening between Jared and I is business related?” It feels like he’s choking, like there’s not enough air in the room, and cold pumps into his veins along with the eddying rage.

Liane’s laugh is brittle, but her face is almost pitying. “Oh no. You bought into that whole ‘we’re a family and we stick together’ routine? I really thought you’d be smarter. Genevieve was at a conference last year and saw you with your dad. She recognized the resemblance instantly. Look, it’s not your fault because I know they can be charming. Still, they’re in the business of selling that charm to whoever walks in the door Jensen. Every single one of them is the master of offering creature comforts.”

There’s no way. There’s no fucking way. Except _of course there is_ , because that’s been the story of his life. Jensen has always sought the group, the belief that he could be someone other than his name and his checking account, and he’s always fallen for any perceived friendship that came with those strings.

“Jared would never do that. He’s better than that.” _Better than you_ , goes unspoken. Maybe the others were, maybe it was fake, but Jared? Not Jared.

“He didn’t tell you what he did before this did he?”

His fingers feel numb, and despite not wanting to show weakness Jensen is afraid if he doesn’t grip onto something he’ll fall down.

“Taught. He taught but it didn’t – something didn’t work for him.” It’s weak, and it should be. Jared was evasive that one time, and Jensen never followed up on it. They talked about so much, and Jared’s love of teaching had been one of those things, but Jensen had never fucking pushed to know more.

“He got caught trying to blackmail a rich alumnus he was sleeping with. The guy stood up for himself and exposed Jared, so the school fired him and he was blackballed. This was the only job he could get for a while because he knew Genevieve. The reason they put him on night audit is because the old general manager didn’t trust him around guests.” She made a broad hand gesture. “A lot of people fall for the smile. It’s okay. If you want I can explain the circumstances to your dad.”

Jensen holds up a hand and takes several deep breaths before the cold control he’s cultivated takes over. “Stop. I’m leaving now. I appreciate your honesty, but you disgust me.”

The door slams behind him even as Jensen pulls out his cellphone. Genevieve sounds half asleep when she finally answers.

_“What’s wrong at the property?”_

“Did you know I was an Ackles?” His truck starts with a minimal amount of noise, and one hand stabs off the radio as the other puts the vehicle into drive.

_“What the hell? You called me at-“_ there’s the sound of fumbling and a loud clank. _“Three in the morning to ask me that? Have you lost your mind?”_

“Did. You. Know?” Jensen is choking on his rage even as everything comes out calm and placid. He listens to the woman’s deep sigh.

_“Yeah, I knew. Look, Jensen it just-“_

He hangs up and heads for Jared’s.

 

\----

 

The house is still lit. When he steps through the door Chad has joined the crowd he left along with Aldis, and Tom is sitting on the floor in front of Mike as the group of them laugh over a completed round of Cards Against Humanity. Everyone looks up at the same time to him.

Jared’s smile is huge as he pushes off the floor and makes his way to Jensen. There’s a beer hanging from his fingertips and he’s obviously only just rejoined the party.

“Jen, honey, you miss me so much you-“ Jared cuts off when Jensen turns away from his kiss and pushes him backwards. It’s not supposed to be violent but Jared is clumsy like this and Jensen doesn’t take that into consideration.

The younger man stumbles backwards, trips over his own feet, and ends up sprawled out over the wood with his beer bottle crashing beside him and breaking. Jensen wants to wrap him up and move him away from the danger. He wants to go back in time and have the bottle break over Jared’s head. He can barely breathe.

Chris pushes up from his chair and it’s only Aldis and Steve working together that keeps the stocky man back from him. “What the fuck is wrong with you asshole?”

Tom’s already pulling Jared away from the broken glass, and the younger man’s big hazel eyes are confused and hurt as they stare at Jensen. “Jen?” His voice wobbles and Jensen hates how his heart fights his head to apologize.

“You knew. You all knew and you played me. I really thought you were my fucking friends, and how stupid was I for that one, huh? And then there’s Jared. Sweet Jared who finally found his prince. You really-“

Chad stood then with both his hands out. “Jensen you’re going to have to take it back a step. We all knew what?”

It’s the first time Chad has ever used his real name. “That I’m an Ackles. Jensen Ackles.” He almost spits the name, and he assumes it’s the tone that freezes the room. “Liane told me everything, even Jared’s work history. How Genevieve knew. How you all play your little bullshit roles. The close and inclusive family group. And then there’s Jared’s-“

“Alan Ackles sent a relative to evaluate us? Wow. Necrophilia is alive and well.” Chad’s face is full of disgust and surprise.

“Nepotism you drunken idiot. You wanted nepotism.” It’s Mike, and all traces of jovial madman are gone as he steps forward and pats Chad gently on the shoulder. “And no Jensen, none of us were aware you’re related to Alan Ackles.”

Jensen surveys the rooms, sees similar looks all around, and his conviction falters. Jared’s face is blank and he’s practically hanging in Tom’s grip.

“But-“

“We didn’t know Jen. I don’t know why you’d think that about us, but we didn’t know.” There’s a war going on in Alona’s expression. Sympathy mixed with anger, and Jensen imagines she’s remembering that evening with the drunken guest even as she takes in Jared’s expression.

“Finish what you were saying.”

Jensen’s heart stops. Jared’s voice is empty, flat, and everyone turns to look at him.

“I think we got it Jay. He thinks we all faked being friends with him to save our jobs.” Chris is watching his friend with a careful look, but his statement makes something in Steve’s face click, and realization makes the rounds through the room.

“No. He was accusing you guys of trying to keep your jobs by being his friends. He was accusing me of something else. Go on Jensen. I finally found my prince and what? And then there’s Jared’s what?”

Jensen wants to run. Wants to run until he can’t remember that look on Jared’s face, or the way Alona’s sympathy is consumed by anger. Before he can speak Chris gets it, and no one tries to stop him this time.

“Alright asshole that’s enough. Call your uncle or cousin or whatever he is and tell him we don’t care ‘bout the damn flag and we don’t give two shits how you’re related to him you ain’t welcome round here.” Chris grabs his arm, twists it to the point of searing pain, and frog marches him out the front door. It slams behind him and he’s left in the humid night alone.

Inside he hears a crash, something like a shout, and then his feet engage and he’s walking away.

 

\----

 

Danni answers the Skype call too quickly considering how late it is. She’s in her bathrobe, hair messy and makeup removed, and Jensen wants to press his face against the monitor and try to soak her in through the miles.

“Jensen? Jen honey what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

And he is, but he can’t make words come out. All he can do is lean forward over the edge of the desk and relish in the sharp pressure it puts against his ribs. All he can see is Jared falling, Jared’s face full of pain and shock, and Jared pressing kisses against him and calling him a _good guy._

“Honey you’re scaring me. You gotta talk to me now ok Jen? What happened? Did someone hurt you?”

He hears a male voice, deep and strong, and can’t make out the words. Danneel looks over her shoulder for a second before whispering something and turning back to the screen.

“Jen why don’t you come home okay? We have to talk about something anyway, but just come home.”

Jensen nods, and hears himself saying _I would never hurt you._

 

\---

 

He meets Genevieve in her office the next morning. Katie is on the front desk when he walks through, and she smiles brightly and waves at him. “Hey Rook! How was audit last night?”

Jensen’s not sure if he’s grateful that she doesn’t know how big of a scumbag he is.

Genevieve closes the door behind him and they sit in the tiny office silently for a long time before she cracks her knuckles and rubs at her eyes.

“So I talked to Chris and Alona this morning. What I was going to tell you last night was that while I knew you were Alan Ackles’ son, the only other person who knew was Liane. She happened to intercept an email I sent to corporate asking about the professionalism of sending you. I’m assuming no one told you about that email either. “

His head drops down lower and Jensen grips his hands together tightly to resist the urge to hold them up and plead to know how Jared is doing.

“I think it goes without saying that you can’t be here anymore. I won’t tell anyone at headquarters about this, but I think I have to at least give the franchise owner a heads-up. Mr. Kripke will want to know if we’re going to lose our flag over this.”

“No one’s losing their flag. I’m still going to try to get your budget increased, and I apologize for any inconvenience my behavior may have caused.”

Genevieve’s laugh is bitter and hard, and Jensen looks up to see the sneer on her face.

“Really? That’s it? I’m going to tell you a story Mr. Ackles and then I want you to leave. No comments and no replies, just leave my fucking hotel got me?” Jensen nodded helplessly. “Jared got involved with an alumnus at the school he was teaching at, yeah, Liane told the truth there. The two of them were pretty serious. Then the guy got really possessive.”

She reaches into her desk and rummages around before pulling out a picture and dropping it on the desk in front of Jensen. It’s a man his brain struggles to recognize, and finally he remembers the man that came in the first time he saw Jared doing audit. The one that tried to touch him.

“I have it for new hires who don’t know the story. All we tell them is that he’s blacklisted from the property and they’re to call the cops if he shows up. I imagine he knows now to come at night when Jared’s alone, but if he does Jared doesn’t tell me.”

“He came when I first got here.”

She nods thoughtfully before plucking the photo back up and dropping it in the desk.

“He didn’t want Jared to have friends, to go out, or to work. He tried to talk Jared into becoming some kind of kept boy, and when Jay refused the bastard spread every lie you can think of about him. It was one English teacher’s word against a man who practically donated a library. Guess who they believed? So Jared was labeled a whore and fired, couldn’t teach around here anymore, and was so destroyed he didn’t want to go anywhere else and try again. He got that job right out of college, and he didn’t know how he’d explain a lack of references for that long. My old boss liked him, saw he had potential, and hired him for night audit because he was detail-oriented and responsible. Until you that was the last time Jared tried to date. Said he’d learned his lesson. We all make jokes about it, but I guess you understand now that no one really finds it very funny. Have a nice life Mr. Ackles.”

She spun in her chair, back displayed to him, and Jensen took the hint.

 

\---

 

Danneel was waiting on his doorstep with Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Neither brought up how bad he looked.

“Honey I hate to add bad news to whatever is going on with you, but it’s about Kurt and your dad.”

Jensen rubbed at the back of his neck before pulling his glasses off and digging his thumbs into his sore eyes. “Shoot.”

“I could only hold him off so long. What you’re going to be told when you come in today is that you have a week to prep for a presentation arguing for keeping extended stays. If you still want to. Kurt’s going to propose executive stays and he’s got a good argument.”

His stomach dropped and Jensen collapsed into his couch. “A week? How the fuck am I supposed to-“

“With J.D.’s help.”

“With me.” They spoke at the same time, and Jensen finally connected the dots.

“You two hooked up while I was gone?” He slid his glasses back on and studied Danni’s blush and Jeffrey’s pleased smile.

“Well, yeah we, uh – look we can talk about it later. The point is if we want to save the extended stays we do this. But with the way you look I don’t know if we do want to save them.”

Jensen thought of the crew at the hotel, of the easy camaraderie and open acceptance, and his hands clenched into fists.

“We want that more than anything Danni.” If he couldn’t have Jared he could at least save the man’s job.

 

\---

 

Prepping for the presentation went more smoothly than he thought it would. J.D. and Danni had apparently been working on it already, and he was so grateful he couldn’t coherently explain it to them. Neither seemed to need it.

The issue became nerves as the date approached. The family has a long-standing rule that business wasn’t discussed at the table, and the only time Jensen saw his father was the weekly get-together. He respected the rule and didn’t say anything, but he could tell his dad knew he wanted to.

The day of the presentation Jensen stood in the conference room with his flash drive and his hands shaking. He thumbed his phone on and stared at the picture of himself and Jared that Alona had taken. Jared’s arm was wrapped around Jensen’s waist and his eyes were full of adoration and love as Jensen said something with his hands to someone else.

Who had he been talking to? Whoever it was, were they the one that was comforting Jared after his latest prince had turned out to be a shithead?

_Right circumstances, wrong guy._

Kurt finished strong with projections and numbers taken off their biggest competitors. He sat down with a smug grin, sunlight streaming through the window and gleaming off his bald head.

“Jensen you ready?”

Was he?

“Let me tell you about a different business model. One where what we’re selling isn’t high-tech rooms and the image of power so that big time executives can feel like they’re being worshipped. There are roughly 9,000 CEOs in the United States that fit the bill for that sort of service and established properties they know and trust already exist. On the other hand, the number of travelling businessmen for small to mid-range companies is staggering. This business model is directed towards them, and it offers something that no other hotel can. It offers them home when they never get to see it or have it. It offers them family.”

 

\---

 

“Salud!” Danni cried as J.D. poured champagne into their glasses. Jensen accepted his, and the hug from his assistant and only friend.

They chatted about the success, his father had announced the day before that Jensen would be the next CEO and that they would be employing his new model as well as pouring more money into the extended stays, and J.D. and Danneel’s plans for a vacation they were about to take together.

After a few hours of sipping champagne and chatting things went quiet, and then Danneel smiled brightly at him even as her eyes told him trouble was on the way.

“Jen, what are you going to be doing while we’re gone?”

“I’ve got a lot of budget stuff left to work up, plus I need to find a good way to explain to every other extended stay property what they’re going to be doing. So, probably writing a ton of memos and holding a lot of franchise owners’ hands.”

Her face pursed up, and J.D. leaned in and placed a hand on Jensen’s knee for a second before sitting back.

“What the pretty lady here is trying to say Jensen is that you should take a vacation too. Maybe to San Antonio. Maybe with a big flashy apology and some knee pads. She’s just a bit too nice to be blunt.”

Jensen couldn’t control the look of shock on his face, but Danneel was nodding seriously. He’d finally told her what happened on his third day back when she recognized how little focus he could give the presentation. She’d listened to the whole thing sympathetically and then slapped him in the back of the head and called him an idiot.

“That’s not going to happen.” Jensen looked out the window at his large, manicured back lawn. “There’s no apologizing for what I did. There’s just polite withdrawal.”

“Well, I’m back to thinking you’re a spoiled idiot.” J.D. stood and pulled Danneel up after him. “Kid, love is a rare and precious thing I heard once. What that boils down to out of cliché land is that you get a chance and if you fuck it up you keep trying, because you ain’t gonna get another one.”

 

\----

Jensen stared at the message for a long time. The number wasn’t programmed in his phone, but a call clarified that it was a cell belonging to Chad Michael Murray in Windcrest, Texas.

_They’ll never forgive me if they know I did this, but somebody’s got to. I don’t care if he forgives you or not, but you have to do something. Please. Jay’s half-dead and nothing’s helping. I think if he at least knew you didn’t think he was a gold-digging slut it would help a little. You more than owe him man, and that’s no joke. Get over your pride and apologize so that he can forgive you and have homo butt sex or beat your prettyboy face in._

The text wormed its way into his subconscious, worked on him, and when Danneel reminded him she was about to start her two weeks of vacation Jensen announced so was he.

That was how he found himself outside of Jared’s house at 5:30 in the evening when his neighbors were home and awake. He looked down at the poofy sleeves, the tights, and the velvet shoes. The costume shop woman had insisted it was period perfect, and Jensen had a suddenly informed hatred for period clothing.

The man beside him cleared his throat and then puffed up visibly and began to ring his bell.

“Oyez, oyez, oyez! Oyez, oyez, oyez!”

Doors began to open, and eventually the one in front of him did too. Alona’s head peeked out, her eyes went wide, and then she was gone.

“Be it known that on this day Prince Jensen, Heir to the Kingdom of Ackles Hotels, Master of Douchebaggery, and a Generally Regretful and Sorry Jerkface has come to apologize to Jared Padalecki for his inexcusable behavior.”

The door flew open, and Chris and Steve fell over each other before the rest of the crew came out behind them. Jared came last, face pale and eyes ringed in shadowed bags. He looked thinner in his t-shirt and sleep pants, his bleary eyes and unstable gait suggested he’d been asleep.

The crier took a breath and went into the second part.

“Prince Jensen knows that he is beneath Jared, and yet he cannot go another day without making it publicly known that despite Jared being an infinitely better human being than him the Prince is desperate for Jared’s love and willing to do anything to regain his trust and companionship.”

Alona’s hand was covering her mouth and Chad was giving him a discreet thumbs-up.

“If Jared would deign to give this lowly snail a moment of his time Jensen would like to apologize himself, but beyond that he simply wishes it to be publicly known that he did wrong by the great Jared, and will be sorry to the end of his miserable days.”

Finished with the written statement the crier rang his bell again and then turned to look at Jared. Half the neighborhood was standing in the street or their front yards looking at Jared along with the majority of the hotel’s staff. Jensen stepped onto the grass and waited for Jared’s decision.

Alona made it for him. “Well, get up here and make your plea.” Her face went bright red, but she puffed her chest out and put a hand on Jared’s shoulder.

Jensen made it all the way to the base of the steps before he went to his knees and looked up at Jared with his hands out and palms upwards. He made sure he was loud enough that the public humiliation aspect of this continued.

“Jared, I was – I was the biggest asshole you ever met. I was lying to you the whole time and then I had the audacity to accuse you of dishonesty without talking to you. My whole life my name has defined me. It’s the only reason anyone’s ever wanted me, and it was addictive to be someone people liked just because of me instead of my name. None of that is an excuse for what I did to you. I hurt you, and that was the thing I promised not to do. I betrayed you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that so I understand if you won’t.”

Jared’s eyes got big and teary, and Jensen’s did the same in response. He felt one tear slip and slide down his face as his voice broke over the next part.

“But I love you. I’m selfish and terrible and I know it, but I love you and I don’t want to live in a world where I never told you that. If you take me back I swear to god I’ll do anything and everything to make this up to you for however long you’ll have me. If you don’t then I want you to know you’re the best person I’ve ever met, and you deserve the world.”

Silence reigned, and Jensen’s knees hurt but he held perfectly still. Jared’s lip trembled, eyes red and wet, and then a voice came from the crowd somewhere behind him.

“Well are you forgiving him or not? Make up your mind Jared, it’s dinner time!”

Chris shot the guy an ugly look, but Jared took a staggering step forward before he reached the stairs and held out a hand. Jensen took it, let Jared pull him up, and they slammed into each other full force.

The cheer around them was deafeningly loud.

 

\----

 

Jensen hissed as Jared’s lips slid over his split lower one.

“Careful please?”

Jared gave him an ugly look. “It’s not my fault you earned a punch to the mouth from Chris right before our epic makeup sex. You should have thought to ask for a different target.”

Jensen ran his hands along the lines of muscle and bone, fingers skipping over ribs and spine until they reached the swell of Jared’s ass.

“I didn’t know he took requests for punching assholes.”

There was a tiny moan as Jensen’s fingers dug into Jared’s cheeks and then pulled them open, tips sliding towards the cleft.

“Well he’s – a reasonable man and – oh god Jen I don’t wanna talk about Chris right now.”

Jensen’s thumb was circling Jared’s hole, his other hand sliding back up to tangle in Jared’s hair and he tilted the beautiful face to the side so that he could avoid the bad part of his lip when he kissed him.

“Agreed. One hundred percent.”

From there Jensen focused on pouring every inch of his love and regret into what he was doing. He took his time rubbing and stroking Jared’s tense muscles, massaging him even as he tasted every inch of flesh he could get his mouth on. By the time his tongue slid along the cleft of Jared’s ass and against the puckered rim the younger man was already a moaning puddle of goo.

Jared jumped once, settled, and then reached back to spread his cheeks so that Jensen had a clear path. He licked and sucked at the rim, slipped his tongue against the muscle until it loosened and he could curl his tongue inside and taste Jared. He listened to moans, his hands soothing along Jared’s trembling flanks and up to curl around his hips. He pulled Jared back onto his knees, and then encouraged the younger man to fuck himself on his tongue as he stroked along Jared’s cock and drew breathy gasps out over and over again.

Jared had already come by the time Jensen felt he was loose and pliant enough. He pulled back, reached for the condom and lube they’d placed out while they were stripping, and then stopped halfway.

Sprawled out across the sheets, debauched, sweaty and flushed, and just generally gorgeous beyond all measure Jared raised an eyebrow.

“We could stop there. We don’t have to – if you don’t want to-“

“How am I going to guilt trip you for things for the rest of our lives if you die of blue balls?” Jared’s smile was hesitant, and that hurt, but it conveyed a world of love and need.

“I always knew you were a smart guy.”

Entering Jared for the first time was a slow process. As relaxed as he was Jensen still had to angle, fuss, and go incredibly slow into the tight confines of Jared’s channel. He didn’t realize he was talking until Jared slid a finger across his spit slick lips.

“So tight, so fucking tight for me baby. Love you so much. Gonna be so good to you. Gonna be a good man for you. Worthy of you. Promise I’ll be worthy of you.”

He used a tiny thrust to finish the entrance, and Jared’s hands flew to his hips and grabbed on tight.

“You – oh Jensen please – you are worthy of me.”

Jensen used his clean hand to tilt Jared’s head so that they were locked in gaze.

“Not yet, but I will be.”

They didn’t talk much after that. It was all about movement, slow at first and then faster and faster until Jensen’s thighs were burning and his hands were shaking. He kissed every inch he could of Jared, split lip forgotten in the rush of the love making.

Jared’s erection slowly came back, and then Jensen was right on edge and begging Jared to join him. He came first, but he rode through it jacking Jared off swiftly until the man underneath him began to jerk and cry as he spurted across his chest and over Jensen’s hand.

They settled into the bed together after Jensen got a washcloth and carefully wiped Jared down. The shaggy head landed on his chest and settled and Jensen’s fingers swiftly found their target buried in Jared’s hair.

“Hey Jen?”

“Yeah baby?” He kissed the top of Jared’s head and felt the smile over-taking his face.

“Will you wear the tights again one day?”

A scowl replaced it. “No. Never again.”

“But – Jensen remember that time you were a total douche?”

He was so fucked.


End file.
